The month of February was spent in Southern India. Our assignment was “village ministry”.For three weeks, we traveled to a new host site (a church that we lived in for the week). The churches were basic structures. One of three had a shower and toilet. Each day we would travel to a different, nearby village. (We visited many small villages along the Bay of Bengal where the destructive tsumani hit in 2004.) We told people about Jesus’s incredible love, prayed for and baptized people, hosted children’s programs, and attended night services. Please view the slideshow on the bottom.
The areas of the country we visited were both spiritually and culturally interesting.
I will list the most memorable spiritual points below. Check out part two of this blog for cultural highlights.
Spiritual Highlights
• there are more than 300 gods/gurus, the people willingly accept Jesus as "just another god"
• images or large statues of gods/gurus are displayed in public places, businesses, and homes
• Cows are viewed as sacred because gods are believed to live in every organ. No beef is eaten and cows roam fairly freely, even in the city.
• overwhelming desire to receive prayer (from any religion, to any god) even to the point of offering money and confrontation
• unwillingness to reject the other gods for Jesus because it means losing their Hindu identity on a social and cultural level (no government assistance either)
• many “Christian” homes display images of Jesus and other gods, even seen in pastors' homes
• many did not accept Christianity because the village pastor isn’t knowledgeable enough to answer questions
• many are afraid to receive baptism because they believe they will be punished if they sin
• We met a demon possessed woman who did not want to be free from the evil spirit. She resisted during prayer and refused to say Jesus’s name.
